Our Toy Poodle Turns 1

A lot of awesome things happened during the month of May.  One of the coolest things that happened in our lives was our newest addition to the family turned 1.  Last July, my wife and I brought home a cute little puppy.  We found him through a well known poodle breeder in Partlow, Virginia.  

Shiloh the Toy Poodle is his name and he's full of energy.  There's never a dull moment in our home because of Shiloh.  He loves to play, snuggle, run full speed through the house while squeeking his toys, and more than anything he loves having peanut butter out of his "kong".  Shiloh also loves taking long walks in his community, the Village of Idlewild.  He loves playing in the fields and walking along Idlewild Blvd with my wife and I.

Shiloh at His 1st Birthday Party

Shiloh Playing on His Birthday.  Right under my home office desk.

Shiloh Taking a Nap

Shiloh Hanging out Looking for Treats :)

It's the Green Truck's Fault!

One Saturday afternoon my wife and I were headed to check out the newly opened Barnes and Nobles Bookstore in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  The bookstore had just opened and we were both eager to get inside and dig into some great books and magazines.  As we hopped out of the car and were walking inside, I noticed these three cars and it immediately caught my eye and at that moment, I was taught a lifelong lesson.

Here it is:  There are three cars parked here that stand out.  Each of the three cars captured are over the boundaries of their specific parking spot.  Then it HIT me!  The white car and the silver car could not park correctly because the truck was over his line, hence forcing them to park over their lines.

If the truck had parked in his parking spot correctly, then the white car could have parked in his line correctly, and the silver car could have parked in his line correctly.  The trending issue of poor parking originated when the truck driver parked poorly and others followed.  Similarly, a lot of things in life seem to get off track when the leader is not operating at a high level and effectively.  This photo convicted me at that very moment, and is currently my desktop photo.  It reminds me daily that if I'm over my lines and not operating as a leader, everything around me is effected: family, business, ministry, and my self will suffer if I am "outside of my parking lines" on a daily basis.

According to John Maxwell, The average person influences at least 4 people each day.  Are you positively influencing people or are you forcing them to park over their "lines"?  Would love to hear how you hold yourself accountable as a leader.

Share your thoughts with me below.

The Five Love Languages Book Review ~ Tim Crews Devotions

The first book I've completed in 2014 is 5 Love Languages.  This book has completed renovated my mind and thoughts on how to effectively love and engage with my wife at a higher level.  Below are some of my notes and takeaways from reading it.  The format is nothing professional.. it's just my raw notes and takeaways.. I hope you enjoy :)  

I highly recommend this book for the husband and wife that desires to meet their spouse's deepest needs and wants to build an amazing marriage based on love.  The best part is recognizing your spouse's primary love language.. once you know it, you can "wow" them and show them sincere, emphatic love with simple gestures and save time and efforts doing things that really doesn't matter to them.  I personally feel that Dr. Gary Chapman is a genius!

Essential Takeaway:  Every person has the basic need to be loved; it's a primary human emotional need.  The need began in childhood and has never gone away and never will go away.  At the core of everyone, we desire to be in relationship with others and we desire to be loved. 

At the core of every relationship, there is an invisible love tank.  Our love tanks can be empty or full. We can directly impact our spouse's love tank by identifying their love language and loving them in that primary love language.  (discover your love language by completing Dr. Chapman's test here).  

Speaking love languages to your spouse has the power and ability to reconnect and reunite that "courtship experience" and the exciting ways things "used to be"

There are 5 primary love languages: words of affirmations, physical touch, acts of service, quality time, and receiving gifts.  If you're not sure what's your primary love language take Dr. Gary Chapman's test by clicking here:  http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/.  

• People speak different love languages
• everyone has a love tank... and we can fill those tanks by loving them in their primary love language
• we must be willing to learn our spouse's primary love langauge if we are to be effective communicators of love
• inside of hurting marriages, one can almost always trace it back down to love.  There exists an emotional love tank that has a gauge on empty.
• in the beginning of relationships there is a "in love" experience that's euphoric.  at this stage, the couple is emotionally obsessed with each other, and the other person can do no wrong... the other person is perfect!
• the "in love" experience is fiction, not fact.  it dwindles away pretty quickly.  it will always end!
• during the "in love" experience, the individuals lose interests in other pursuits.

Love Language 1 - Words of Affirmation

• the tongue has the power of life and death
• verbal compliments, or words of appreciation are powerful communicators of love.  they are best expressed in simple, straight-forward statements of affirmation.
• when we receive affirming words we are far more likely to be motivated to reciprocate
• dialects of words of affirmation:
  • encouraging words, verbal compliments, kind words, humble words, 

Action Steps for you if your spouse's love language is words of affirmation:

• write reminders that your spouse's primary love language is words of affirmation
• for one week, keep a record of all the words of affirmation you give your spouse each day.
• set a goal to your spouse a different compliment each day for one monh
• write a love letter or a love paragraph or a love sentence to your spouse and give it quietly
• compliment your spouse in the presence of their family, friends, business associates
• look for your spouse's strengths and tell them how much you appreciate those strengths
• tell your children how great their mom/dad is
• write a poem for your spouse describing them

Love Language 2 - Quality Time

• quality time - giving someone your undivided attention.  
• sitting on the couch watching tv doesn't count
• it means taking a walk, just the two of you, or going to each and looking at each other and talking
• make a list of all of the things that you know your spouse would love you to do with them if their primary love language is quality time.  after making the list, commit to do one thing with your each week
• there is a difference between doing things together and doing things in close proximity; it requires giving your spouse your full attention

Action steps if your spouse's primary love language is quality time

• ask spouse for list of 5 activities that they would enjoy doing with you.  make plans to do one of them each month
• ask your spouse where they most enjoy sitting when talking with you.  then next week make a date to go to that place and talk
• think of an activity your spouse enjoys, but brings little pleasure to you: and tell your spouse you'd like to join them in that activity... and ask engaging questions to learn more about that activity
• plan a weekend getaway for just the two of you 
• make time every day to share with each other some of the events of the day.  

Love Language # 3 - Receiving Gifts

• this one's pretty self explanatory.  if your spouse likes receiving items of value and gifts.. then maybe this is their primary love language and you should engage it.  Dr. Chapman mentions that there is no bad or good love language.. but this one could become pretty costly :)

Action steps if your spouse's primary love language is quality time

• provide a parade of gifts once per month: combination of gifts throughout the week 
• incorporate handmade items to show care 
• give your spouse a gift every day for one week
• keep a gift idea notebook, and when you notice something catches your spouses eye, jot it down, and incorporate that gift later.

Love Language # 4 - Acts of Service

• Jesus Christ gave us a great sample of this when expressing love by an act of service when He washed the feet of His disciples.
• acts of service range from washing the dishes, doing the laundry, vacuuming the carpets, washing the car, mowing the lawn, etc.
• overcoming stereotypes is key here:  learning the love language of acts of service require some of us to reexamine our stereotypes of the roles of husband and wives

Action steps if your spouse's love language is acts of service

• make a list of all the requests your spouse has made of you over the past few weeks
• create cards that says: "today i will show my love for you by..." complete the sentence with one act of service and give to your spouse after you've completed the act of service.
• ask your spouse to make a list of the ten things they would like you to do over the next month 
• ask your spouse, what acts of service that would really speak love him or her

Love Language #5 - Physical Touch

• physical touch is a powerful vehicle for communicating love.  holding hands, kissing, embracing, and sexual intercourse are all ways of communicating emotional love to one's spouse

Action steps if your spouse's love language is physical touch

• hold hands while in public
• while eating, let your knee or foot drift over and touch your spouse
• initiate a shoulder massage while your spouse is sitting down and least expecting it
• if you sit together in church, when the minister calls for prayer, reach over and hold your spouse's hand

I hope you've enjoyed my quick overview of the book.  I highly recommend it.  Wishing you many blessings and a wildly successful marriage!

You can purchase this book on Amazon by clicking here

Don't Perish!

Last night after Bible Study at church, my wife and I were discussing some of our wildest dreams and aspirations.  Something that's been on both of our hearts for a while developed in the conversation and we both began to throw out ideas and suggestions on how to make the vision a fruition.  As we arrived home, we were both eager about our discussion.  As I came back downstairs from changing clothes, my wife had covered one of our dining tables in the breakfast nook with scrap paper and said let's sketch it.  After hearing that and by that time, I was super eager.  We sat down together and wrote the vision:  ideas, tactics, strategies, priorities, the impact it would have, and 5 action steps to launch.

I said all of that to simply say this, if there's a vision or a thought that you have in your mind that is burning within you.. don't let it just stay there.  Get out a sheet of paper and write it down.  

Solomon, whom was full of wisdom urged us in Proverbs 29:18 about the dangers of not having a vision by saying:  "where there is no vision, the people perish."

Don't perish!  Every vision, dream, or imagination that you may have in your mind.. write it and take action!

(The results of our vision writing session)

Bring Me Another Jar

I recently read the story of a poor widow and her two sons.  The widow was not doing so well financially and was having hardships.  As you can imagine, her husband just passed and she has two growing teenagers to feed and creditors were calling her daily!  Things were getting very tight for her financially and she's pretty desperate and need some help.  And all she has is a flask of olive oil.  Out of nowhere a man comes along who happens to be a prophet named Elisha.  Elisha tells the widow, "borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.  Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you.  Pour olive oil from from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it's filled."

The goal was for the woman to gather jars and use her own flask of oil to fill the jars; then sell the jars of olive oil to make money and pay her bills.

The widow did as she was instructed in great desperation and had her sons go find jars.  The story continues, she filled jars as long as her sons brought them.  One after another, the small flask of olive oil she had in her home filled numerous jars.  She then told her sons: "bring me another jar," and her son responded "there aren't anymore!"  And immediately the oil stopped flowing from her flask.

Here's the funny thing:  As long as her sons were bringing jars to pour olive oil in, the oil kept on flowing.  And the moment that there was not another jar to pour olive oil in, immediately the flow of olive oil ceased!

In life, we must be careful that we have enough to catch all that we desire from God.  Sometimes we pray to God for help and for the blessings of God, but in actuality we're not prepared to catch all that He is capable of bringing.

What things are you desiring from God... and are you equipped to handle them if and when He grants them?

Source of story: 2 Kings 4: 1-7

Brain Food

Every year many of us map out audacious goals, dreams, and resolutions for the new year.  What I'm learning is achievement is 10%  the stuff we do and 90% mindset.  My personal thoughts are if we can control how we think and what goes into our mind, we can do anything our minds set out to do.  Mental food or food for thought is the books we read.  In high school and college I may have read 9 books throughout my entire time... total!  Once graduating from college one of my mentors shared with me the power of reading and the impact it has on our thoughts and our future.  I'm grateful for him influencing me to read. If we change our mind, we change our world.  

Below you'll see this year's book list I've committed to reading for 2014.  I've already read a handful of these and will re-read because they were so powerful, and others will be completely new reads.  Here are the core topics of the types of books I read:  leadership, personal development, business, real estate, spiritual growth, and of course my favorite, the Chronological Life Application Study Bible - NLT version (this version of the Bible has made the Bible come to LIFE for me).   My reading habit is 10 pages of the Bible daily and 15 pages of a book daily, 5 times per week.  Romans 12:2 urges us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds...

I'll be posting recaps of each book as I complete them.. so check back throughout the year. 

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3 - (#shilohthetoypoodle found his way in a picture)

What books are you planning to read this year?

Wisdom Is The Principle Thing - Goal Setting 2014

As we dive into the last two months of the year, one thing has been capturing my attention and that one thing is wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 says: wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Why start a blog on devotions?
I’m glad you asked. Professionally I own and operate a real estate business and I regularly blog to educate consumers in my marketplace and I enjoy it. This venue of blogging was placed in my heart years ago. I actually began a blog 5 years ago and organically grew a large following. But because I felt It was “too much” I stopped. Well, here is the attempt at obedience to share with those who could use a daily pick me up with Christ!

During this time of the year (goal-setting season), most business owners, individuals that desire change, and natural planners begin preparing and planning for the next year and what they want to accomplish. And as I began to strategize and plan for the next year, I stumbled across this scripture in proverbs: chapter 19:21. It states “you can make many plans, but the Lords purpose will prevail.” This year, my prayer is not that I obtain financial gain (though I would love and aim to create huge profits in my businesses) but in my maturing in my relationship with God, I earnestly want His plan and purpose to consume me. That sounds crazy, but as I thought further, if I gained profits and grew my businesses, it would mean nothing if God was not pleased with me. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 16:26 by challenging us with this question: “and what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”  Wishing you a powerful goal planning season!

What goals are you setting for 2014?